Coventry bin strike: Council 'undermining' it with agency workers

Unite members have already taken strike action in December and January

The Unite union has accused a council of bringing in agency bin lorry drivers to undermine a strike.

Members of the union have staged walk-outs in Coventry, in a dispute over pay and Unite said the authority appeared to be "ignoring the law" and would advise contractors they could be "engaging in illegal activity".

The dispute has now been taken to Acas for arbitration.

The council said the agency workers were a short-term measure.

It added it would allow them to make fortnightly collections of general waste while the strike action continued "to ensure residents suffer as little as possible".

It will carry out the collections using private contractor Tom White Waste and said an "enhanced rate" of pay was being offered to attract enough drivers to the area for the work.

It said it had appealed to Unite to provide "a minimal vital 'life and limb' service, such as care homes, to the city's most vulnerable" while negotiations continue, but said the request had been refused by the union.

Unite said it had challenged the council's decision to bring in agency workers and "demanded answers".

The union's general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Here we have a so-called Labour council prepared to pay agency drivers to drive its bin lorries on more money than the union is asking for in its regrading claim.

"This is a ludicrous waste of taxpayers' money.

"The council could get the strike resolved by paying for our regrading claim now and so get the bins emptied."

ACAS has been asked to find a compromise on the issue of wages and a decision could be made next week, but the two sides remain at odds over the introduction of new Christmas rotas.

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